5 Retailers that will be closing stores

[bjl584]

5 retailers shuttering stores - retail store closings - MSN Money

[fe2o3ez]

ANF surprises me a bit, as they always seem to be a popular chain among teenagers, but as the article mentioned, those closings are a matter of removing the weak links.

Blockbuster is pretty obvious. I got some GREAT deals a couple weeks ago at a BB closing down the street. They called it a store "moving" sale, but they were dumping EVERYTHING. Racks, old registers, cover art, games, discs used for BB Online, etc.

[disneysteve]

I didn't realize Blockbuster was still in business. I thought they had closed already. All of the stores in my region have been gone for a while.

Friendly's surprises me a bit. The ones around us are always crowded. In fact, a few weeks ago a group of us tried to go to Friendly's one night only to find the place packed due to a nearby school dance letting out. We got back in our cars and went to another Friendly's that was also crowded but had room for us.

It disappoints me to hear that the problem is competition from newer fancier places like Panera. I love Panera but it is different than Friendly's. I go to the two for different reasons and expecting different types of food. It seems like "comfort food" is really disappearing from the landscape. It is getting harder and harder to find a place to get a simple, basic meal like a plain old grilled cheese sandwich. That's something the Friendly's has always been good for.

[photo]

Bloomingdale's -- one of the huge anchor stores at the Mall of America in Minnesota -- is closing this spring.

Mall of America Bloomingdale's store to close in mid March | StarTribune.com